At the end of the Second World War my father Eric purchased a 270 acre farm at Mooloo. This rural settlement was one of several surrounding the gold mining city of Gympie in the Mary Valley, Queensland, Australia. Eric needed to recover his health after those tough war years and anticipated a good rest cure while share croppers managed his land. The settlement name, “Mooloo” … Continue reading Mooloo School Days
Image sourced from http://www.nationallacydog.org/herding.html In my last blog I mentioned our part dingo, part whatever cattle dog called Sandy. Sandy was one of those indispensable animals a farm would not be a farm without. Actually there were three farm dogs we inherited along with the tractor, implements and an assortment of beasts and other machinery. One was an Australian blue heeler that developed a massive … Continue reading Majoring in Minors
I still remember my first glimpse of the Mooloo property we’d purchased. We’d laboured up the winding dirt track, which narrowed as we moved to the crest of the mountain in our Morris Oxford Panel Van. Through the back window panels my attention had been riveted to the left side of a road that seemed to my young eyes to disappear into an empty void … Continue reading Jump in Sandy!
We children soon tired of unpacking after moving to the Mooloo property in 1949. My Brother Barry and I began pestering parents Eric and Maude for permission to explore our two hundred and seventy acre new property home. With usual parental caution to be careful we were released from tedious work and were soon on our way to the initial grand tour. First port of … Continue reading Flicker
Elizabeth looked at her new born daughter Gyargyike with a mixture of happiness and concern. It was 1942. She and Andrew had only been in the royal city of Szekesfehervar Hungary for a brief time after fleeing from their ancestral home in Lugos, Romania. In the changing borders of Europe this Hungarian family had found themselves on the wrong side of the new border and … Continue reading Gyargyike
Maude darted a nervous grin at Eric as he climbed in behind the wheel. There was a lot riding on this trip. Their three kids were already complaining about being stowed into the back of the van, even though they’d provided cushions for them – they had to accept the old 1949 Morris Oxford van wasn’t the most comfortable mode of transport. They just hoped … Continue reading The Hills of Home
“Tonight we go to the big dipper!” Eric beamed with joy as his children whooped and danced around the room in excitement at this announcement. “We’re going to the big dipper! We’re going to the big dipper tonight!” The children sang as they danced. The family was visiting with Grandparents Adam and Fanny at their retirement home in Margate by the sea, a distant suburb … Continue reading Watch My Form!
I’d been assigned to visit educational institutions receiving grants for development purposes, and report to donors all was well with their funded projects, before a continuation of grants could be approved. I was familiar with my next location. My first visit had been on similar assignments ten years previous. In earlier days primary mode of travel through the country was by river ferry or deshi … Continue reading Squandered Resources
After twenty-six years sometimes traveling remote and often dangerous places around the world it was difficult to believe I could be silently robbed in one of the safest cities. I’d delighted to tell of train trips in remote areas of Asia where one was advised to sleep on top of one’s shoes or luggage during an overnight train journey, wrap money and valuables in a … Continue reading Robbed in Paradise
It was the year 1916 when William made his screaming daylight entry to a world in transition. Europe was at war, and many Australians had been conscripted and shipped overseas in support of the motherland. His birthplace was Brisbane, Australia. Mother Eunice raised her head wearily to study the doctor’s face as he briefly glanced at the upside down baby in his hands and administered … Continue reading Willy
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